Citation

Mohiyeddini C, Bauer S, Semple S. Stress 2013; 16(4): 384-392.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton , Holybourne Avenue, London, SW15 4JD , UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.3109/10253890.2012.755171

PMID

23205741

Abstract

When stressed, people typically show elevated rates of displacement behaviour - activities like scratching and face touching that seem irrelevant to the ongoing situation. Growing evidence indicates that displacement behaviour may play a role in regulating stress levels, and thus may represent an important component of the coping response. Recently, we found evidence that this stress-regulating effect of displacement behaviour is found in men but not in women. This sex difference may result from women's higher levels of public self-consciousness, which could inhibit expression of displacement behaviour due to the fear of projecting an inappropriate image. Here, we explored the link between public self-consciousness, displacement behaviour and stress among 62 healthy women (mean age = 26.59 years; SD = 3.61). We first assessed participants' public self-consciousness, and then quantified displacement behaviour, heart rate and cognitive performance during a Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and used self-report questionnaires to assess the experience of stress afterwards. Public self-consciousness was negatively correlated with rate of displacement behaviour, and positively correlated with both the subjective experience of stress post-TSST and the number of mistakes in the cognitive task. Moderation analyses revealed that for women high in public self-consciousness, high levels of displacement behaviour were associated with higher reported levels of stress and poorer cognitive performance. For women low in public self-consciousness, stress levels and cognitive performance were unrelated to displacement behaviour. Our findings indicate public self-consciousness is associated with both the expression of displacement behaviour and how such behaviour mediates responses to social stress.

Language: en